Thank God for Sarah Palin. Without her jibes, her sarcasm, her exaggerations, her smug provincialism, her hypocrisy about family and government, her exploitation of mommyhood and her personal attacks on Barack Obama, the Democratic base might never be consolidated. This much is certain: Obama could never do it.
Not, anyway, the Obama who appeared Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. That Obama was cool, diffident, above it all — unflustered, unflappable, unexcitable and downright unexciting. These “uns” ran on, a torrent of cool that frosted my flat-panel TV and had me wondering if, as a kid, Obama ever got a shot in the mouth on the playground, he’d glare at the bully — and convene a meeting.
Stephanopoulos vainly tried for some genuine reaction. In choosing Palin, did John McCain get someone who met the minimum test of being “capable of being president?” Everyone in America knows the answer to that. They know McCain picked someone so unqualified she has been hiding from the media because a question to her is like kryptonite to what’s-his-name. But did Obama say anything like that? Here are his exact words: “Well, you know, I’ll let you ask John McCain when he’s on ABC.” Boy, Palin will never get over that.
Did you just say Obama was an empty suit, metro boy? I’ll tell you what’s rich: that an MSMer like you would 1) state that Sarah Palin’s pick is good for Obama, or 2) that Palin represents either smugness or provincialism.
She’s the reformist Governor of Alaska, and her legislative bona fides far outstrip anything your stripling Presidential candidate can point to. She has a record of going up against “entrenched interests,” such as the corrupt GOP establishment and the eeeeeeeeeeevil oil companies. Baracky? He’s never stood up to anything in his life, but, yeah, he’s got that smug going for him.
Still, keep it up. Because if it comes down to a contest of honesty and authenticity between the MSM and Palin, the MSM is going to get its balls kicked in. Dude. Obama can’t fight back, because his record is a straw, and hers is a stick. He’s hoping you’ll protect him from the scary lady, so . . . get over it and get to it!
More, from Smuggles’s newspaper of record:
[David Bernstein, September 9, 2008 at 12:55am] Trackbacks
New Washington Post “Expose” on Palin:
You have to read the article carefully to figure this out, but what the story ultimately reveals is that Palin (a) billed the state for most expenses allowed by law, including per diem when she stayed in her own home (her “duty station” was the state capitol of Juneau) in Wasilla; (b) didn’t bill the state for other expenses, when she could have done so lawfully, such as per diems for her children; and (c) spent a lot less money on expenses than did her predecessor, especially on travel and by ridding herself of the state’s personal chef. [FWIW, she apparently maintained two residences, the governor's mansion in Juneau, which by state law is her official work "base" and where assumedly she didn't get a per diem (but where her predecessor had a personal chef whom she let go), and Wasilla, from where she commuted to Anchorage for work when the legislature wasn't in session. Saintly to take the per diem she was legally entitled to when in the second residence? No. Worthy of the lead headline on Washingtonpost.com? Please! Not illegal, not unethical, and not a scandal.]
Meanwhile, I have to wonder whether the Post has several reporters looking over Joe Biden’s expense reports. Does he bill the government for his daily roundtrip to Delaware? How many “fact-finding missions” has he participated in annually during his Senate career? Inquiring minds want to know?
UPDATE: The Post doesn’t do the math for us, but the total per diem claimed was $16,951 divided divided by 312 days, or $54.33 per day (the per diem is $60, so there were some partial days).
Also, the article headline, “Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home,” and some related content, is very misleading. A glance at the expense report reproduced on the Post’s website makes it clear that she requested per diem for her daily expenses, but not for lodging, and that she apparently wrote “lodging–own home” only to explain why she wasn’t requesting hotel expenses. One almost wonders whether the author of the story understands what a “per diem” is; the story notes that Palin rarely charged the state for meals when in Wasilla and Anchorage, but of course she didn’t, because she instead just asked for the per diem!
The Post also reports:
In the past, per diem claims by Alaska state officials have carried political risks. In 1988, the head of the state Commerce Department was pilloried for collecting a per diem charge of $50 while staying in his Anchorage home, according to local news accounts. The commissioner, the late Tony Smith, resigned amid a series of controversies.”It was quite the little scandal,” said Tony Knowles, the Democratic governor from 1994 to 2000.
It must have been quite a little scandal, because a search of the Anchorage Daily News for “Tony Smith” reveals no per diem controversy, only a controversy over alleged contract-steering that led to Smith’s resignation, and an earlier, much smaller controversy about state officials, including Smith, taking foreign trips. There was a contemporaneous (early 1989) controversy over the expenses claimed by state Sen. Paul Fischer, including allegations that he requested a per diem on days when he was not where he claimed to be.
Team McPalin: The Rattlers.
Comment by B Moe on 9/9 @ 1:15 pm #
They know McCain picked someone so unqualified she has been hiding from the media because a question to her is like kryptonite to what’s-his-name.
They really need to hone it on this one and scream it from the rooftops.
Comment by Dan Collins on 9/9 @ 1:18 pm #
By what’s-his-name, I assume he means Obama.
Comment by Spies, Brigands, and Pirates on 9/9 @ 1:25 pm #
Swiping a meme from Ace:
Palin: GI Joe with the Kung Fu Grip.
Obama: Ken
Comment by Dan Collins on 9/9 @ 1:29 pm #
Yeah? Well, Cohen’s new nickname is Smuggles.
Comment by serr8d on 9/9 @ 2:10 pm #
Someone should’ve organized up a teleprompter for BHO.
tw: an Popoffs yeah, scripts too..
Comment by BJTexs on 9/9 @ 2:26 pm #
Did cohen attempt to compare Obama’s community organizor experience to McCain’s time as a POW.
He did?
Somebody need to call Guinness because I think he just set a world record for most contorted reasoning evah!
Then again he’s rejected as anything approaching a serious journalist by virtue of ““capable of being president?†Everyone in America knows the answer to that.”
Friggin’ hack.
Comment by sdferr on 9/9 @ 2:42 pm #
Barack Obama,
Community Organizer
of
Community Organizers.
tw: brokers edly
Comment by sdferr on 9/9 @ 3:11 pm #
Was the GreatAsbestosHysteria of the 1980’s the model for developing the GlobalWarmingHysteria of the 2000’s? Hmmmm.
Comment by datadave on 9/9 @ 4:05 pm #
“Superman” is a copywrite infringment thing. A professonal writer can’t say it due to corporatization of words by the Republican-led everything-must-be-privatized agenda. After all the corporate goons worked soooo hard to maintain “Superman’s” name. Now that dna codes of naturally forming plants (and animals) can also be “owned” soon they’ll be charging us for the air we breath.
Since we are under-the-radar here, I don’t think we’ll get a call from the lawyers defending Superman’s good name.
Comment by thor on 9/9 @ 4:12 pm #
The smugness of provincialism; that’s perfect.
Don’t forget she stood up to the entrenched Librarians! All while beating the noses of Republicans! In 18-months!
She’s so more Baracky than Baracky! Her God-fearing daughter even carries her a welfare baby! Out ghetto that ghetto man!
Comment by datadave on 9/9 @ 5:01 pm #
And she’s got a whiny voice. Can’t stand listening to flaky Palin. She looks okay, had a g/f just like her, now a doctor, but that voice?? Let use hear her describing her ’science’ of belief that burning excessive amounts of fuel doesn’t cause global warming. She admits that the snowmobile races are hurting in Exurban Wasilla, a pigsty of big box stores and poorly developed eyesores. Only 50 inches of snow a year? Hah, What a sucky place to ski.
Gotta admit she’s put Alaska on the map…n it ain’t all pretty, My friends say the Canadian Rockies are much nicer!!
Comment by TmjUtah on 9/9 @ 5:12 pm #
(I’M NOT REALLY HERE. REALLY.)
“That Obama was cool, diffident, above it all  unflustered, unflappable, unexcitable and downright unexciting. ”
What, you never saw “Rain Man”? Stephanopoulos must have been terrified. If he hadn’t been able to carry Obama through the script, it would have been his career that would be ended as the media personality that “ended Obama’s campaign”.
(OKAY. I’M STILL STILL NOT HERE.)
Comment by sdferr on 9/9 @ 5:40 pm #
datadave bitching and moaning about a whiny voice. Comedy gold.
Comment by B Moe on 9/9 @ 7:18 pm #
“Superman†is a copywrite infringment thing. A professonal writer can’t say it due to corporatization of words by the Republican-led everything-must-be-privatized agenda.
Dave is sad because he got turned down for that new game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Wood Splitting Maul?”
Comment by thor on 9/9 @ 11:53 pm #
Oh, I get it, Dave doesn’t agree with your politics and therefore he’s not a specialized carpenter anymore. He’s now nothing more than a object meant for personal derision.
You must be a born again Republican.
And just who told you you were the smarter one, BMoe? God?
Comment by B Moe on 9/9 @ 11:59 pm #
Yes, as a matter of fact I did tell B Moe that. Any more questions?
Comment by B Moe on 9/10 @ 12:00 am #
Dammit, stupid log in filter stole my sock.
Comment by B Moe on 9/10 @ 12:02 am #
16 was supposed to be comment by God. Which would have made it slightly funnier intentionally, but not near as funny as what just happened.
Comment by B Moe on 9/10 @ 12:07 am #
And I don’t know that I am smarter than ole dave, I mean, he cheats his way out of paying taxes, then gets the government to give him mine. That is pretty clever, don’t you think, he may be the smart one.
But I am more honest, because he is a fucking thief.
Comment by maggie katzen on 9/10 @ 5:56 am #
um, I believe it’s called a carbon credit.